1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for tempering and working a high strength low ductile alloy.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the production of a gas turbine engine, for example, the turbine blades and disks which are by nature exposed to harsh conditions of high temperature, high pressure and oxidative atmosphere are required to be made of an alloy possessing high temperature strength and an oxidative corrosion resistance both surpassing design levels. Numerous nickel-base alloys have been developed and put to use in such applications. Although these alloys satisfy the standards of high temperature strength and oxidative corrosion resistance of demanded, they have been inevitably developed at some expense of workability because the strength of an alloy as this kind increases in proportion as the ease of working is decreased. In the production of a jet engine which consists of thousands of parts formed in complicated shapes at close tolerances, the workability of the alloy used constitutes a principal factor for determining the degree of usefulness of the alloys. In many branches of industry, the solution to the problem of this workability of the alloy can be attempted by conveniently altering alloy compositions. For the alloy used in the production of a gas turbine engine, the improvement in the method of working itself is an indispensable requirement without reference to the necessity for the alteration of the alloy composition, because the alloy is subject to a host of related standards.